by CCTV has become vital for security purposes. The surveillance system consists of a DVR that helps record and manage the camera. However, choosing a DVR can be challenging if you know nothing about these systems. Before buying one, there are crucial decisions you must make to get the right to suit your needs. Here is an ultimate guide for beginners.
DVR means Digital Video Recorders. These devices allow you to record security footage captured by your CCTV security camera. After recording, you can watch it whenever you want to. The DVR is good for businesses and homes in case of any insecurity. The DVR system will ensure you have the security footage of perpetrators to help identify them. However, it’s good for businesses to back up their data to safeguard it in case of theft or physical damage.
Modern DVR camera systems can record footage from up to 16 CCTV cameras at once. They also have hard drives that allow you to back up and store the footage that has been recorded. In addition, some DVRs are advanced and support cloud storage or have apps that help you monitor live streams while away.
As technology advances, more advanced devices are being made, for example, NVR. So, what’s the difference between the DVR and NVR?
What’s the difference between the DVR and NVR?
As mentioned, DVR means a Digital Video recorder, and NVR is Network Video Recorder. The NVR camera system uses IP cameras that are advanced technologically and can record and store videos without help. It can only happen if there’s an internet connection.
On the other hand, DVRs use analogue cameras and cannot store and record CCTV footage without help. Instead, they transfer unprocessed streamed footage via coaxial cables to DVR, which then processes the video. Simply DVR encodes and stores video signals while NVRs store videos that a camera encodes.
Before buying a DVR system, there are questions you need to ask yourself. The questions will help you choose the right one to suit your needs. Here are some of the questions.
1. How many cameras will be in operation, and do you need the system to take audio recordings?
The number of video input channels a DVR h dictates how many cameras you can operate from it. DVRs have 1,4,8,16,32, and 64 channels. But the channels depend on the model you purchase. The number of channels in a DVR means it will operate the same number of cameras. So do you need a system that can record audio? If yes, you must buy a DVR with at least one audio input. It replays the DVR’s sound through an audio device’s cable. Also, this can work if you have a CCTV camera with inbuilt audio.
2. What is the duration you need the DVR to record for?
The duration you want the DVR to record matters. Some DVRs can record for months without touching them. When the HDD is full, the DVR overwrites the old footage with the new footage. However, this depends on the size of the HDD, the number of cameras and the frame rate it will use. If the frame rate is high, the bigger the HDD size you need to record footage, but you will get better images. If you can’t get the high-end one, pick a DVR in the middle to offer you the best.
3. How many monitors do you plan to connect to the DVR?
Most DVRs can allow you to connect more than one monitor through VGA output or a composite video BNC. But when you do this, the monitor needs a different power supply to the DVR. You can connect a VGA monitor and two extra composite video monitors. In simple terms, you can have multiple monitors showing images from one DVR.
4. What is the resolution feature you need in your DVR system?
When looking at resolution in DVRs, you need to consider frames per second. It helps ensure you record high-quality security footage. Frames per second (FPS) refers to the number of still images a DVR records in a second. The stills come together to create a video.
In DVRs, the higher the FPS number, the better the image quality. DVRs are made to record your video footage, so getting the right FPS is vital. To ensure you have the right one, you can do a trial and test what you require. While testing, ensure you can identify faces, details and changes.
DVR systems are essential when it comes to security. However, getting the right one to suit your needs can be daunting. Before buying one, you need to know the cameras you will have, the recording duration monitors you will connect and many more. After answering all this, you can pick one that will serve the purpose.
